Laurie Williams takes silver linings from Paralympic exit in Paris

Laurie Williams was able to reflect positively on her return to the Paralympic stage even as it ended in quarterfinal defeat.

As part of the women’s wheelchair basketball team, she suffered a narrow 59-52 defeat to the USA to see GB’s campaign for a first medal fall short. However, Altrincham native Williams was proud to be part of the side just over a year after giving birth to her first child.

“I’ve absolutely loved it, I tried really hard to get here. I’ve got a little girl who is not even one and a half yet,” said Williams, who is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – which has been vital on their pathway to the Paris 2024 Games.

“Getting back after pregnancy and those early months of motherhood are challenging but being here is an accomplishment in itself. There is a lot of work between being an athlete and a mother but she is a big motivator for me.

“I have a lot to reflect on really, to come to a Paralympics with a small baby isn’t easy and she is here watching so what an incredible experience for her as well. She gets to be able to say, I was this young and I got to watch my mums compete at a Paralympics, that’s pretty awesome.”

Jade Atkin made an impact of from the start, scoring the first points of the game, but the rebounds of Becca Murray and Ixhelt Gonzalez were constant threat at both ends of the court. With the half-time break closing in, the USA scored six straight points to hold a seven-point advantage after the second quarter.

The third quarter saw GB again pull themselves back into the contest, only for captain Murray to help